


The Boy on the Balcony

by dean_writes



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Drabble, First Meetings, Fluff, Kinda?, M/M, no capes AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dean_writes/pseuds/dean_writes
Summary: A no-capes sort of AU of tim and kon's first meeting
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

15 minutes, he was told. All he had to do was stick around for 15 minutes, and then he was free to disappear off to wherever he went during any big organized event. 

“People start questioning why you're said to have come but aren't anywhere to be seen” Bruce had told him. Tim knew there was no argument there, but he also knew Bruce was fair; he knew Tim hated being around so many people for so long. So they compromised, Tim had to stay for only 15 minutes, enough that he was seen and had talked to a few people, and then he could do what he did best, and disappear without a trace.

And he kept his promise- exactly 15 minutes and then he was gone. Gone to roam around the large building alone, even if he wasn't exactly allowed to. 

He wandered out some doors that led onto a balcony, it wasn't very big, but it was outside, and it was nice. That was something he liked about Metropolis- the air felt more clear and breathable than it did in Gotham. It was refreshing.

_A breath of fresh air_ Tim mused, smiling to himself and leaning over the railing to look at the city. The building wasn't tall so much as it was higher than most of the city, which made for a great view, Tim admired. He wished he had his camera with him. His hand went up to rub at his neck where he would normally feel the familiar weight of his camera's neck strap. 

He sighed before nearly jumping out of his skin at the “Hey” that came from the floating boy five feet in front of him.

* * *

Kon didn't _love_ flying around the city, it would be a stretch to say he even _liked_ it but, well, it was something to _do._

Flying would, in itself, always be exhilarating to him, there was no doubt about that. But the mindless wandering and floating around with nothing to keep him company besides his thoughts? Not as fun.

He wasn't looking for anything in particular, he rarely was, but his eyes still fell on the large building on the higher end of the city. He made his way to it, no particular intentions, just curious of what was happening. Sometimes he liked to float around it as events were held, just to see what was going on. He didn't bother engaging in wedding receptions or baby showers or anything of that sorts. Sometimes he liked to bother a few people at business events but he was normally scolded for that. 

It was late, so he didn't expect anyone to really be outside, but making a flyby was still more entertaining than going back to aimlessly floating around the city.

As he expected, no one was out. No one except whoever was standing on the balcony near the back, facing the city. He looked distracted, his hand absently rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned over the railing.

Kon could see he was around his (supposed) age, so he thought it safe enough to drop in to say hello.

“Hey,” the kid started slightly, clearly distracted enough that he hadn't noticed the floating teen right in his field of vision.

“You’re Superboy,” was the first thing out of his mouth. 

“So you’re not blind,” Kon jabbed, grinning like an ass. The other boy raised an eyebrow, unamused. Kon sighed and spread his arms, “the one and only, at your service.” The boy gave him a small smile.

“What has you so absorbed that you didn't notice the flying person right in front of you?” Kon jabbed again, as he settled himself on the railing beside the boy. The boy simply shrugged and gestured vaguely at the city.

“The view is nice,” he answered.

“Hey, I’m a pretty nice view myself,” Kon boasted, leaning forward from where he sat on the railing to get a better look at the kids face.

The boy turned to him with another small smile, a bit more inimical than the last, “I’ve heard you were cocky but I wasn't aware you were also a comedian.”

Okay, _rude._

“So you've heard of me?” Kon deflected. 

“Of course,” the boy tilted his head, “I'm always interested in heroes, and you were a big topic for a while. Appearing out of nowhere, helping Superman save the city and being just as elusive? People wanted to know what’s up,” He glanced at him, “some say you're his son.”

“Something like that,”

“You’re not a robot, are you?” the boy asked half jokingly.

Kon snorted, “does _this_ look like a robot?” He flexed his arm and smirked at the boy, surprised when he reached out and squeezing his arm. His hands were soft but firm, he could feel that the boy was strong despite his small stature.

“Guess not,” he smiled as he removed his hand from Kon’s bicep, “but how do I know you’re not some alien tech, way more advanced than what I could imagine?”

Kon shrugged, “you don't.”

The boy chuckled softly and Kon beamed, feeling accomplished at having made him laugh.

“What else have you heard of me, Mister Well-Informed?” the boy raised an eyebrow at the tease.

“Hmm,” he pressed his lips together in mock thoughtfulness, “besides that you’re an asshole?”

“Oh _please,”_ Kon snorted, “you’ve known me for, what, ten minutes?”

“Ten _wonderful_ minutes,” he taunted, making Kon roll his eyes. 

“I’m going to pretend like that was genuine.” The boy only shrugged.

“So what are you doing out here? Y'know the people are _inside,_ right?”

The boy sighed and turned his attention back to the city, propping his elbows on the railing to lay his chin in his hands, “that’s the problem.”

“Don’t like people?” 

“It’s not that I dislike _people,_ more being around that _many_ of them that I don't know.”

“I'm someone you don't know.”

“I do know you, you’re Superboy,” he smiled slightly and glanced at him, “plus, do you even count as a person if you’re not human?”

“I’m human enough,” Kon mumbled, scowling slightly. The boy went silent and they stayed that way for a while.

“How long have you been out here? Y'know, before I came.”

“I had just come out,” he replied. The boy glanced at his phone, frowning slightly, and stepped back, “but, uh, I have to go now, actually. It was nice meeting you, Superboy.”

“Yeah, you too.”

The boy smiled at him, a genuine smile, before turning and re-entering the building. Kon continued to watch the door even after it closed for a bit, before rising in the air and leaving.


	2. Chapter 2

The thought didn't strike Kon until he was already half-way back to Clark’s place- he didn't even know the boy’s _name._

He shoved his face in his hands and groaned. He had been so caught up in just bantering back and forth and talking about _himself_ that he didn't stop to ask the boy something as simple as his _name_.

He stopped again only seconds after resuming his flight when he realized he also didn't know if he would ever see the kid again- he had no clue why he was there or what had even been being held, so he couldn't even try to guess the next time he would visit.

But… maybe he didn't have to.

* * *

“Hello,” the boy watched as Kon lowered himself so he was level with him.

“You noticed me this time,” there was only a little bit of bite behind the statement.

The boy rolled his eyes good naturedly as a grin split his face, “how'd you even know I’d be here today?” 

“Huh?” Kon pulled himself back to the conversation, having distracted himself wondering if the boy had gotten a haircut or if it just looked different seeing it in the daylight versus at night, “oh, uh, I didn’t.”

The boy raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Kon gave him a sheepish grin.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the place to wait for any events, y'know? Would check in every once in a while.”

The boy looked taken aback, “you… for four months?” He gave another abashed look.

“Well, I couldn't just leave it at _that,_ yeah?” He tilted his head, “you know me but I don’t know anything about you.”

The boy leaned forward and smiled slightly, “so what do you want to know?” 

“For starters, your _name_.” 

“If you tell me yours,” the boy grinned smugly as Kon sighed dramatically.

“That's not _fair.”_

“Why not?”

“I'm a _superhero_ , my identity’s supposed to be a _secret,_ that’s why it’s called a _secret identity,_ ” he explained, landing on the other side of the railing next to the boy.

He turned to look at him, “how do you know _my_ identity isn’t a secret?”

“I-” kon mulled over the question for a second, “actually, fair point. But I still think you're just messing with me.”

“Hm, maybe.” Kon had to look away at the face the boy was making, suddenly feeling shy; which was a pretty new feeling and he didn't think he liked it.

He swallowed before speaking, “so no name… how old are you?”

“Guess” 

Kon sighed again, “you’re not making this whole getting-to-know-you thing easy.”

“What, like you don't enjoy a challenge?”

“Yeah, when I'm fighting a big monster, not when I’m talking to cute boys,” Kon hoped he didn't just imagine hearing the boys breath catch and his heart stutter.

The boy turned his head away and didn't say anything, so Kon quickly filled the silence before it became unbearably awkward.

“I think…. your name is Mark and you're sixteen,”

The boy smiled, “well, one of those is correct.”

“You’re sixteen?” The boy nodded.

“So you’re not Mark… how about Tommy? You look like a Tommy.” He gauges the boy’s reaction, who simply raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. Damn.

“Ugh,” Kon hung limply over the railing, in a mock-mope, glancing up to see the boy’s shoulders shake slightly with muffled laughter.

“For a hero you're pretty quick to give up on a little guessing game,” the boy teased.

“Your name could be _anything!_ I'm gonna have to make, like, a list or something. And I don't even know if it’s American, so I’d have to cover names from other countries, too.”

The ends of the boy’s lips curved slightly, “I have an American name”

“Oh wow, that narrows it down a _bunch,_ thanks” Kon grouched. 

“Well, technically, it _does-”_

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” but he grinned humorously as he straightened up, “I feel like I’m playing twenty questions with an _amnesiac.”_ The boy chuckled.

Kon tapped his chin, “favorite color?”

“Red”

“Favorite candy?”

“Twix”

“Left or right?”

“Left”

“Favorite movie genre?”

“Sci-fi, action, I'm not picky”

They continued on for a bit, Kon quickly throwing out questions and the boy answering them just as quickly.

“Any pets?”

“No, but my brother has some.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Guess.”

Kon scowled, “that’s cheating.”

“You can't cheat at twenty questions,” was his defense, “and you only have 7 left.”

“Hey, wait, I didn't-”

“C'mon, Superboy, we don’t have all night,” his voice was almost challenging.

Kon thought for a bit, “any exes?”

“Yeah.”

“How many?”

“One.”

“How were they?”

He let the question hang in the air for a second before answering, “she was nice, we’re still good friends. She’s… something else.” He seemed to smile at the thought and Kon felt an uncomfortable tug of jealousy in his gut.

“Do you still like her?”

The boy narrowed his eyes, “these questions are getting oddly specific.”

“Just answer the question, Wonder Boy.”

“Wonder Boy?” he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

Kon shrugged, “you won't give me a name so I'll pick one myself.” He pointed to himself “Superboy-” he pointed at the boy, “-Wonder Boy.” the boy’s heart picked up slightly and he looked away but not before Kon caught the small quirk of his lips.

“Weirdo”

“Are you going to answer the question or not?”

“No,” he said, “I don’t have feelings for her anymore, I never really- it wasn't like that.”

Now Kon was even more interested, “not like that?”

He shook his head.

“Do you like someone else, then?”

He paused before nodding.

“Who?”

The boy grinned, “you're out of questions.”

“ _Dude!_ ” Kon did his best to glare at the boy who erupted into laughter, but couldn't help the grin that broke out, “you're a piece of work, you know that?”

“I've been told I can be difficult at times,” he leaned against the railing and smiled, as they slipped in a comfortable silence. 

The door opened and the boy quickly spun around, interrupting the girl who glanced out.

“T-” “Hey.”

She raised an eyebrow in a similar way to the boy, leading Kon to assume this was his sister. She had the same dark hair and smart expression, not to mention eyes that seemed to examine you even if the rest of their expression was casual.

“Who’s this?”

“This is Superboy.”

She looked him up and down, not in an entirely disapproving manner but still hesitant.

“Hello, Superboy.”

“Hello, Wonder Boy’s sister.” 

She glanced at said boy, “Wonder Boy?” he definitely flushed at that.

“Shouldn't we be going?” he shooed his sister away and she gave him a knowing smile that Kon couldn't quite interpret, before disappearing behind the door.

The boy turned around, looking timid (which was a _wonderful_ look on him, Kon admired) and offering a sheepish grin.

“Well, uh, you heard her,” he slowly backed towards the door.

“Wait-” Kon lurched as if to grab his hand but then thought better of it, “how will I even know when you’re here again?”

The boy smiled, “I’m from Gotham,” he said, as if that answered Kon’s question at all.

“Hey, that doesn’t-” but he had already slipped through the door and was gone.

Kon huffed a messy sigh, “he’s lucky he’s cute,” he muttered as he took his own exit.


	3. Chapter 3

_Gotham_ he had said he was from. Kon stared at the ceiling, tipping his chair back so it balanced precariously and racking his brain for any way he could use that to narrow down his search. 

Kon had checked around before he had met up with the boy this time. And by checked around, he meant used his x-ray vision to check what was going on inside. And god, Kon felt bored just _looking_ at it, he couldn't imagine having to actually _attend_ it. But assuming from all the old boring people, it seemed to be some big name thing only obnoxious money hoarders and people with big status would go.

So he started his search there.

He looked up big names in Gotham, instantly checking off his list ones who weren’t parents, or had a single child. The list was narrowed significantly, so that there were only about three left. And with closer inspection, one family had only daughters and the other had a boy but he was much much older. And blonde. And looked like a douche.

The last one left was a relatively ( _emphasis_ on the relatively) young man- _Bruce Wayne_.

And man, this guy must _love_ kids, because Kon couldn't think of any other reason to adopt _six_ of them. Well, five. One was apparently a biological child with an unnamed mother.

But man, was that a lotta kids.

Kon quickly scrolled through their profiles, skipping past the oldest two oldest (Richard “Dick” - heh- Grayson and Jason Todd) and the girl he recognized from before (Cassandra “Cass” Cain, not much on her, she seemed to like her privacy) and finally came upon the boy. Timothy “Tim” Drake. Kon grinned. _Tim_.

He scrolled through Tim’s profile for a bit. He was the third to last kid, adopted many years back after his parents passed. He apparently wasn't the most social and was rare to be seen when he didn't want to. Kon smiled at that.

He continued to scroll through useless information, feeling giddy now that he knew some things about the mystery kid. He absorbed the random fun facts and trivia before exiting the tab and shutting off the computer. And not a second too soon, as Clark made his way into the room. Kon suddenly realized how embarrassing it may have been to have to explain why he was looking at some random Gotham kid’s online profile without sounding like a weirdo. Or telling the truth. And he didn't want to do that.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed or felt it was wrong in any way, he just didn't want to tell Clark about it. He tried his best to be respectful and open to Clark, but a part of him still felt that he wanted to take it all away, tell Kon how it wasn’t _safe_ or _smart_ and make him promise to stay away, probably give him a twenty minute speech on how he was a _superhero_ and he had to be specifically cautious about who he talked to. The thought made hot anger curl in his stomach and him feel suddenly defensive, tensing as Clark approached. 

“Hey, what're you up to?” Clark asked conversationally. Kon shrugged, pushing the chair out to stand up.

“Reading some stuff,” he mumbled, trying to step past Clark, who seemed to have other ideas, quickly putting his hand on Kon’s shoulder and squeezing lightly.

“You alright there, kid?” he looked genuinely concerned and it made Kon feel guilty in the way it always did after he acted hostile towards Clark. He didn’t know why he did, it wasn’t like Clark had ever done anything to really _deserve_ it.

He glanced away, “Yeah, I'm fine” he said, less aggressively, before shrugging off Clark’s hand without a second glance and exiting the room.

* * *

“Somehow I didn't take you for the _rich_ type, Timothy.” The teasing began as soon as he was in ear shot. Tim’s face lit up at the sight of him, but he quickly played it off with an eye roll.

“ _Please_ , the only people who call me Timothy are snotty rich people and my brothers when they want to piss me off.”

“Implying _you’re_ not a snotty rich person?”

Tim leveled a glare at the teen hero, “I’m a lot of things, but I'm nothing like _them_ ,” he jerked his thumb back towards the door of the balcony, to what Kon assumed was another big-name-blowout.

Kon shrugged, “well, I wouldn't know, since I'm not really spending time around them.”

Tim smiled bitterly, “it is _mind numbingly_ boring. How many times do i have to hear about these people’s new estate or stupid vacation house?”

Kon snorted and Tim's smile softened as he switched topic, “so what’s it like? Being a hero and all, saving lives and having super powers?”

Kon, who was now floating on his back as if he was reclining on a bed and not floating in mid air, gave an awkward shrug, “definitely not as glamorous as I make it seem.” He flipped so he was upright but still in a lying position, “how about you? What’s it like being the son of one of the world’s most popular billionaires?”

“Ditto,” Tim responded, absentmindedly. They fell into a silence as they stared at each other, mirroring each other's expressions.

Once realizing what he was doing, Kon quickly averted his gaze, flushing. _God, he’s cute_ he thought, oblivious to his counterpart’s similar train of thought.

“Well, what’s _this_ like?” he gestured vaguely at the building, “y'know, these galas and such?”

Tim tilted his head, and thought for a bit, “tiresome,” he decided on.

Kon raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

“I don't know,” tim sighed, “it’s not the worst thing ever, but it’s definitely up there.”

“Do you have to learn to, like, slow dance or something?”

“Slow dance?” Tim’s tone was lighthearted but like he was trying not to laugh at Kon’s question.

“I don’t know, don’t you have to do ballroom dances or something?” Kon flung his arms in annoyance and let them fall to his sides, “you have to partner up with some young rich man's daughter and fall in love.”

Tim actually laughed at that, “not normally, no. But I do know how to do some.” His hand was held at and Kon stared at it for a second before realizing he was offering it to him. He slipped his in and let Tim guide him onto the balcony, landing on his feet softly and walking with him to the center.

Tim shifted the hand so their hands were palm to palm and guided Kon’s other hand to hold his arm, proceeding to place his free one on Kon’s shoulder blade.

“This is how we’ll hold our arms, alright?” Kon felt a tap on his foot and looked down.

“I'm going to take a step forward and you’ll move your foot back at the same time. Yeah, like that, and then your other will go out like this.” Kon followed as Tim placed his foot off to his right, and brought his left up in place with it. 

“And now you step forward with your left, like I did, and I'll go back. And then we repeat these steps, but you’ll also need the rise and fall of it, just follow me.” Tim repeated the steps, this time bending slightly on the back and forward steps and straightening on the horizontal. Kon followed, before finally catching on and feeling confident enough to join along, his eyes never leaving their feet.

He finally glanced up, seeing Tim already looking at him, with a small curve of his lips that made Kon’s heart flutter. He was suddenly aware of just how close they were and it felt like electricity shot through his arms and burned up his stomach and face. He didn't move away, continuing the steps in time with Tim, following the moves smoothly as they stared at each other.

They were keeping a consistent step and distance between each other and Kon had the sudden urge to step closer, maybe just stand still as Tim stepped forward. But he kept in pace until they slowed to a stop.

Neither moved away, just continued to stare at their companion as they panted softly. There was a small tint to Tim's cheeks that Kon was sure he matched.

And it felt like they were the only two things in existence in that moment. Nothing mattered but Tim and his striking blue eyes that stared widely into Kon’s own.

Kon had always scoffed at the saying “eyes are the window to the soul” but now felt he had to take himself back on his word, feeling like he was learning everything from Tim by just looking into his eyes. He felt like he could study them for hours and never get bored, they were full of thought and life that felt endless, made Kon believe he could see all of who Tim was through them. 

But then Tim was moving away and Kon had to resist the urge to tighten his grip on his arm, make him stay until he was finished losing himself in everything that was _Tim_.

“I, um, I should get going,” Tim mumbled, gesturing lightly to the door. He wasn’t looking at Kon anymore, seeming much more interested in the ground just behind him instead. And Kon couldn't blame him, now feeling like he wanted to hide his face and not let anyone see the flush that was slowly covering it.

“Ah.” he said intelligently, “right. Yeah I'll, uh, I’ll just get going too, I guess. I'll see you again soon,” he quickly added, hoping it came out more confident than hopeful. 

“Of course, Super-”

“Kon,” he blurted, “that's uh- my name. You can call me that,” he clarified at Tim’s surprised expression. It melted into a soft look.

“I'll see you around, Kon.” He left through the door and Kon wanted nothing more than to follow.

He didn't move from the spot he was planted at, his whole body rigid as the previous events played over in his mind. The holding hands, the dancing, the mixed breaths as they stared at each other, and, god, _Tim’s eyes_. He could feel his stomach curl at the thought.

_Tim was beautiful_ , he mused as he shot into the air with a little more enthusiasm than necessary, thanks to the fluttering feeling in his stomach that made him feel the need to jump around and yell to no one and everyone about how much he wanted to hold Tim, pull him close and kiss him until they were breathless.

But he squashed the urge down, blowing off some of the steam by flying circles around the city until he felt tired enough that he could go back to Clark’s place without a tell-tale blush and dopey grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god, i wanted to do so much more with this chapter, but then life decided to make this the worst week ever for writing:') if the quality of these chapters start dropping drastically, i'm so sorry


End file.
